Rent / Borrow BBQ Pit for PorcFest?

[MengerFan]

Anyone know where I can rent or borrow a BBQ pit for PorcFest? It's a pain doing more than fifty pounds at a time in mine, and I don't really feel like trailering it all the way from Ohio.

[MaineShark]

What do you actually need?  We may be able to just build one that we will then have available for future events.

The typical "cut an oil tank in half" setups are pretty easy to do.

Joe

[MengerFan]

I am just a cook, not a builder, so I will try to answer the best of my ability. Actually, I am not a cook either. I just love barbecue.

Here's what I use at home, although there are plenty of other styles out there: http://www.bbqpits.com/backyard_smokers/20x36_deluxe_smoker.htm

Basically, you need a chamber for the meat to cook with an indirect place for the fire. I hear, though, that there is some trick to constructing the pit such that it maintains uniform temperature throughout. If you don't do it right, then you get burnt meat near the fire and meat that never finishes on the other side.

[Lloyd Danforth]

I wanted to build a 'burger cooking' Barbeque for the first Porcfest Barbeque, but, the guy in charge of the event dropped the ball and they had to have Rogers do it.  Anyone wanting to build one, let me know and I will help.  Then we can keep it around and make it available for different events as my big tent is.

[MaineShark]

Doesn't look to be anything complex.

How much cooking surface do we need?

Joe

[MengerFan]

I am not so good with measurements. Let's say enough for five or six pork butts, three or four briskets, and a couple turkeys. An upper shelf for burgers and chicken breasts is always good.

I'll measure my racks when I get home and see if I can get a better idea of square inches.

Another feature that I like is a rack above the fire, in case someone wants to grill something.

[MaineShark]

I am not so good with measurements. Let's say enough for five or six pork butts, three or four briskets, and a couple turkeys. An upper shelf for burgers and chicken breasts is always good.

I'll measure my racks when I get home and see if I can get a better idea of square inches.

Another feature that I like is a rack above the fire, in case someone wants to grill something.

Actual measurements would be good.

Joe

[porcupine kate]

Great idea.
Let me know if I can help.
Kate

[MengerFan]

After I took pictures and measurements of my pit, I realized that all of the info was on that web page I listed earlier.

Mine is made of 3/8" steel pipe, 20" diameter. The firebox is a 20" cube made of 1/2" steel. Some of the key features I noticed were that the firebox vent is located at a height below the coals. The opening from the firebox to the main chamber is below the meat racks and baffled to direct the heat toward the bottom of the chamber. The door edges are flanged to better seal the heat in.

Other nice features are a ball valve on the bottom of the cooking chamber to allow for easy cleaning. There are shelves on the side and front which make for nice work space, but fold down or remove for easier storage. It is also treated with five coats of 1300 degree paint to protect the metal over the years. I wish it had a propane burner in the firebox that could be controlled with a thermostat. That would have saved me many hours of lost time when I fell asleep and awoke to find the fire dead.

I think what we need is 18 square feet of cooking area. This would be accomplished with a 24" x 6' version of what I described, with two rows of cooking racks, if you wanted to go with that style. Only problem there is that you're not going to fit a turkey if you're using both rows of shelf. Not necessarily a big deal, as there are plenty of other meats to enjoy.

If you have a good time building these, you might be able to make a living at it. There isn't anyone else anywhere near New England doing it as far as I can tell, and getting a pit shipped from Texas pretty much doubles the cost for the purchaser.

[Lloyd Danforth]

Send images

[Puke]

Send images

The link he posted earlier has images.
http://www.bbqpits.com/backyard_smokers/20x36_deluxe_smoker.htm

[Lloyd Danforth]

Oh

[Ron Helwig]

The link he posted earlier has images.
http://www.bbqpits.com/backyard_smokers/20x36_deluxe_smoker.htm

Why the heck are they calling them BBQ pits when they are clearly not pits?

Pits are permanently installed fixtures.

Besides, these are tiny.

[MengerFan]

Why the heck are they calling them BBQ pits when they are clearly not pits?

I've always wondered that as well.

[MengerFan]

I found this document on building a pit, smoker, or what-have-you out of propane tanks.

http://www.texasbarbeques.com/support-files/smokerplans.pdf